Women tend to consume less alcohol than men, but researchers believe it is mainly due to cultural factors and, in recent decades, the gender gap has narrowed significantly, especially among younger women .
In fact, women may be inherently more vulnerable to alcohol use disorders, for reasons that are deeply ingrained in mammalian biology, as a new preclinical study led by scientists at Weill Cornell Medicine suggests.
At the moment in mice
The researchers examined a region of the brain in mice called the nucleus of the terminal stria bed (BNST), an important node in a stress-response network whose activity in humans has been linked to binge-eating. The researchers found that a significant population of BNST neurons are more excitable in females than in males, helping to explain the greater susceptibility of females to excessive alcohol consumption .
The researchers also found that a distant group of neurons called the paraventricular nucleus of the thalamus (PVT), which is connected to the BNST, acts as a brake on its activity and has a stronger influence on the female BNST compared to the male BNST.
Thus, the PVT is able to stop excessive alcohol consumption through this circuit brake in female mice but not in males . While women may be offered more protection through this mechanism, they may also be more vulnerable to disease when this brake is disrupted.
Additionally, sex differences in the PVT-BNST circuit may be relevant to sex differences not only in alcohol use disorders but also in anxiety disorders, which are much more common in women and often coexist with drinking. excessive alcohol . The suggested step, then, is to investigate the ascending circuits that stimulate BNST activity, the role of estrogen, and the molecular characteristics of PVT and BNST neurons that could allow them to be the target of future drug treatments for alcohol use disorders.